William Horace Oakland (February 21, 1939 – September 17, 2007) was an American Economist and Economics Professor at Tulane University. Born in Chicopee, Massachusetts, Oakland received his BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts in 1961 and Ph.D in Industrial Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965.
In addition to being a professor at Tulane University, Oakland served as the Chair of the Economics Department from 1981–1987 and from 1992–1998, Director of the Murphy Institute of Political Economy from 1980–1981, and Director of the Center of Public Policy Studies from 1998-2003. Oakland retired from Tulane University in 2003 and died on September 17, 2007.
Prior to teaching at Tulane University, Oakland was the Assistant Professor of Political Economy for Johns Hopkins University from 1964–1970, Associate Professor of Political Economy for Johns Hopkins University from 1970–1973, and Professor of Economics and Public Administration for Ohio State University from 1973-1979.
Oakland has made many contributions to public economics. He authored/co-authored over 40 scientific publications in prominent economic periodicals. Much of Oakland's work focuses on a few key issues such as taxation, public goods, and welfare.